WINGS Tour Leaders – Luke Seitz

Luke Seitz

Luke Seitz’s birding career took off when a brilliant male Scarlet Tanager graced his Connecticut yard when he was only six years old. Birds then became his new focus and he hasn’t looked back since. Trips to Arizona and Colorado during middle school provided more fuel for the fire, and a week-long stint in northwest Ecuador at age 14 opened Luke’s eyes to the avian diversity that South America has to offer. Luke was the youngest in his high school class, so after graduating in 2010, he opted to take some time off and explore a bit. Over the next two years, he spent a good deal of time in South America, with a heavy focus on Ecuador but also making quick jaunts to central Peru, southern Chile, and Argentina. Of course, it’s hard to top the brilliant hummingbirds and tanagers, but Luke also finds a certain satisfaction in piecing together the identification of difficult tyrannulets and ovenbirds. Currently a senior at Cornell University, Luke is studying philosophy, which gives him plenty of freedom to take a variety of more important courses such as History of Rock Music and Intro to Wines. He works part time at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, with a focus on developing his bird illustration skills. Upon graduation, Luke is excited to pursue illustration as a career and continue to guide tours to all corners of the globe. In addition to birds, Luke has a keen interest in gymnastics, dry riesling, and the music of Bruce Springsteen.